The death of three protesters in Guinea has galvanised support for a national strike now in its ninth day. A BBC correspondent says many thousands are demonstrating across the country, braving teargas and rubber bullets. Workers who were initially striking over the high cost of living, now want the resignation of President Lansana Conte and his government. But a minister says the government had fulfilled their demands by increasing salaries and cutting some taxes. This is the third general strike in a year. Mr Conte, who seized power in a 1984 coup and has since won three elections, is in his 70s and in poor health suffering from diabetes. The BBC's Alhassan Sillah says some 5,000 demonstrators have taken to the streets in the capital, Conakry and tens of thousands are marching in regional towns.... http://news.bbc.co.uk

The United States, Australia and Canada have voiced concerns to China over a test in space of a satellite-killing weapon last week, the White House said on Thursday. "The U.S. believes China's development and testing of such weapons is inconsistent with the spirit of cooperation that both countries aspire to in the civil space area," National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. "We and other countries have expressed our concern regarding this action to the Chinese."...http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070118/pl_nm/china_usa_satellitekiller_dc

Israel plans to turn over $100 million in frozen tax funds to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas by Friday, an Israeli official said.The money is part of Israel’s strategy to boost the moderate Palestinian leader in his standoff with the Islamic militant group Hamas, the official said. The money will include funds for humanitarian assistance and to beef up Abbas’ Presidential Guard, which has clashed with Hamas gunmen in recent weeks. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter with the media and spoke on condition of anonymity....http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16688922/

Oil will resume its march toward $100 a barrel after a ``correction,'' said Jim Rogers, who predicted the start of the commodities rally in 1999. ``I'm just not smart enough to know how far down it will go and how long it will stay, but I do know that within the context of the bull market, oil will go over $100,'' Rogers said in a Tokyo interview. ``It will go over $150. Whether that is in 2009 or 2013, I don't have a clue, but I know it's going to happen.'' Crude oil in New York has fallen 34 percent to a 19-month low since it peaked at a record $78.40 a barrel in July. Rogers, author of ``Hot Commodities,'' has said oil will keep rising because there hasn't been a major discovery for 30 years and economic growth in China and across Asia is driving up demand. Rogers, 64, who created a series of commodities indexes and foresees a long-term bull market in oil, metals and grains, said he hadn't changed his positive view. ...http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=azQIiqfEPt8g&refer=exclusive

Iran has accused the US of kidnapping five of its citizens who were arrested in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil. The US has denied the men were diplomats - it says they were linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard and were arming Shia fighters in Iraq. Iran's ambassador to Iraq called last week's arrests "a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and an insult to the Iraqi people". He demanded the men's release. Hassan Kazimi Qomi denied Iran has been involved in the violence in Iraq. He said the "kidnapped" men were diplomats engaged in legitimate tasks. "These actions are against international conventions which guarantee diplomatic immunity and they are also against the framework of the agreement between Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran," Mr Qomi told the BBC's Andrew North in Baghdad. He denied Iran had any interest in destabilising Iraq, saying the unrest and a flood of refugees could spill over Iran's border. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6274837.stm

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says federal judges are unqualified to make rulings affecting national security policy, ramping up his criticism of how they handle terrorism cases. In remarks prepared for delivery Wednesday, Gonzales says judges generally should defer to the will of the president and Congress when deciding national security cases. He also raps jurists who “apply an activist philosophy that stretches the law to suit policy preferences.” The text of the speech, scheduled for delivery at the American Enterprise Institute, was obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press. It outlines, in part, what qualities the Bush administration looks for when selecting candidates for the federal bench. If we are too stupid to vote these Scum out and too brainwashed to realize we have lost any semblance of our Constitution then we deserve what we are allowing to happen to this country. The only thing we have left is our illusion of freedom, and even that is fading fast....http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16668110/